Hailing from Gävle, Sweden, FreddeGredde is a solo project by Fredrik Larsson. The young artist initially rose to prominence in the early days of viral video revolution where his great musicianship gained attention on YouTube and generated millions of views on some of his most popular videos. Larsson’s YouTube channel quickly became the number one subscribed channel in Sweden, but even though his viral video success began to fade over time, FreddeGredde was far from a one-trick pony and late 2009 was when we finally got to hear some of the artist’s original material. Video versions of “Beside Me” and “The Wayfarer” showed clear tendencies towards an eclectic approach to songwriting and featured rapid shifts from emotionally charged ballads to heavy rock escapades.
It took almost two years for Larsson to execute his lifelong dream of recording and releasing his debut album, but it’s clear that the time was well spent since “Thirteen Eight” is one of those rare debuts that only comes once or twice every decade. Not only has the artist managed to make a clear statement of intent but there is also a clear tendency towards fusing the worlds of art rock and pop music. The material shows a versatile approach which, in return, has potential of appealing just as much to fans of art music as to the a casual listener.
- Alexander Peterson
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